Training Session 24: (Sharing God’s Love) Prayer, Power, and a Plan

OUTLINE TO FOLLOW THE VIDEO TALK ON DEVELOPING PRAYER, POWER, & A PLAN TO SHARE GOD’S LOVE

PROBLEM

• We don’t love people
• Love is to act in the long term best interest of others
• We don’t love people to share Jesus; we share Jesus to love people
  • Project vs. person
• Stephen Phelan’s Problem–>0 to 1

PRAYER for Sharing the Love of Jesus

• Col. 4:2
• Daily Prayer Challenge from Mentor
•  0 to 15
• Charity/MM
• What if the Bird enters your life?
• You will move from general prayer to prayer for specific people
• You might even begin praying with your family for specific people

POWER for Sharing the Love of Jesus

• The Heart of God for the lost is our power to share the love of God

• Stephen’s story about his kids getting lost at the beach
  • Our heart sadly doesn’t reflect the heart of God
  • Instead of searching for lost people, We ask questions like, “what are we having for dinner?” 
  • Instead of searching for lost people, we say things like, “At least we have 2 kids at home”

•  Lk. 15
  • God saves (no notches on belt)
  • God saves through you
    •  I Cor. 9:23: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”
    • Mark 1:17 Fishers of men
    • 2 Cor. 5: Ministry/Message of Reconciliation-
    • Stephen Shares stories about Coach Dan–>Joe, Dante, and neighbors

PLAN for Sharing the Love of Jesus

My Target:

• Experiencing and multiplying the love of Jesus

My Goals for Sharing the Love of Jesus in 2020

• Share Gospel 3x per week
• Have 1-2 non-Christian couples over a month.
  •   Requires us to love actual neighbors, not simply theoretical neighbors 
  •  “Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”  CS Lewis Mere Christianity

• Prayer for 15:  Jesus would save 15 people through me personally sharing the love of Jesus. 
• Weekly Calendar Check with Bradford
  • Sharing the Love of Jesus is like the alignment of car–it’s constantly getting out of balance

My Tactics for Sharing the Love of Jesus

Tactic #1: Friendship Evangelism

• Bread & Butter
• Multi-touch gospel dialogue vs. isolated gospel monologue
  • Not New Things, but a New Way 
    • Missional Living (work, play, live)
    •  CrossFit, street, kids, play groups, chamber,
    • Stories
      • Solar Guy, Christmas Party, 9/11 Memorial Mishap
      • Golf Coach
      • Co-workers (Mike Sims, Dante, Sylvester, etc.)
  • Friendship evangelism vs friendship   
    •  Friendship without evangelism is….friendship 
    • BBQ 1st, then move friendship to friendship evangelism early in relationship.
    • 30 Second Tactic
    • 5 Minute Tactic—Sharing Points of Redemptive Pain
    • 60 minute Gospel Presentation

Tactic #2: Life’s Big Questions Study

• Journey of Learning
• 4-6 Week Walk Through Book of Mark Called Life’s Big Questions
• How To Get People into a Life’s Big Questions Study
  • Tell me your story.  Then tell me your spiritual journey?  Did you grow up going to church?  Where are you today—do you feel close to God or far from him?  Why?
  • Ask for 1 lunch, not a 6 week commitment.  If it adds value to your life, we’ll do another one.  It will probably take 4-6 weeks to read through Mark, but totally up to you.
  • 95% acceptance rate
    • Sales Pipeline–13
    •  https://movementmentoring.live

Tactic #3:  Invite to Church

Tactic #4:  Invite to an Event To Share the Love of Jesus

• Personal
  •  Christmas Party
• Corporate
  •  Life’s Big Questions Study
  •  Movement Christmas Party
  • Movement Worship Nights

Tactic #5: Sharing the Love of Jesus by deeds/mercy

• “Nothing has so contributed to the progress of these Christians as their charity to strangers.  The impious Galileans provide not only for their own but for ours as well.”  Julian (Roman Emperor)
• Personal
  •  Targeted Acts of Kindness to neighbors
• Corporate
  • These are examples at Movement Mortgage of ways we have seen people get connected to Christ (LoveWorks, Movement Communities, Worship Nights, Watch Parties for local churches)

Tactic #6: Short-term Mission Trips

• Movement Mission Trips; Church Mission Trips
• Stories of people coming to Christ on Mission Trips (Mike Brennan, Carlos Otero)

Tactic #7: Sharing the Love of Jesus on the 1st Date (Vegas)

• Just say no to the bull-horn guy
• Door-to-door statistics from Mormons–.1% conversion success rate (1 in 1000).  Odds increase to 50% if friend or relative invites to his home

Metrics for Success

• Defining Success
• •  3 guys breaking down rocks (only one was engaged)
  •  Gift of evangelism vs. work of evangelism
    •  “I’m terrible at evangelism”—tried it and it didn’t work
  •  Acts 1:8–bear witness to the love of Jesus
• Measurable Metrics
  •  Daily Prayer for specific people
  •  Accountability
    • “Change or Die” in Fast Company
      • 90% reverted back to old lifestyles virtually guaranteeing death
      • Successful group–80% had peer support group
    • Mentoring Group
      • Ben, Jordan, Evan, Bert, Brad
  • Pipeline
  •  Fish
    • Are people who are far from God experiencing, sharing, and multiplying the love of Jesus?
• Stories
  • Ben, Jordan, Evan, Bert, Brad

GOSPEL

• Jesus
• • Loved us with our long term best interest
  • Didn’t get sidetracked by granite
  • I John 3:16

Going Deeper  (Suggestions by Author & Pastor Rankin Wilbourne)

Evangelism is a spiritual gift but it’s also a calling and privilege. Most of us need training so see if your local church offers something like Alpha or Christianity Explored.

Stephen models that you need to be equipped for all different sorts of conversations. George Hunter’s The Celtic Way of Evangelism shows how evangelism is not just a technique but a way of life, as does Jim Petersen’s The Insider. Becky Pippert’s books, especially Talking about Jesus Without Sounding Religious and Hope Has Its Reasons remain relevant, as do Jack Miller’s books, especially A Faith Worth Sharing.

And for those whom you think, “He or she will never become a Christian!” pick up Randy Newman’s Unlikely Converts.